The fourth annual UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition today announced the advancement of six teams to the final round to be held on April 23 and 24 at the Haas School. Finalist plans ranged from cancer treatments to safer tires.

More than one-third of the original 66 teams participating this year -- and three of the six finalists -- presented biotech plans.

The competition is targeted at students and alumni of UC Berkeley and is co-sponsored by the Haas School's Lester Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and the College of Engineering. In only four years, this student-led contest has become one of the nation's leading competitions.

Thirty prominent venture capitalists evaluated the business plans of the 28 semifinalist teams on Friday, April 12, to select the six finalists. Each team was given 20 minutes to pitch its plan in front of a panel of five venture capitalists. Judges were matched with business plans based on their expertise.

The six finalist teams will pitch their business plans in the final, private round of judging on Tuesday, April 23 at Haas, at which the judges will determine the winners.

The finalists will again present their plans, this time to the public, at the awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 24 preceding the announcement of the winners. The April 24th event is free and open to the public. It will take place from 6:30 to 9 pm in the Arthur Andersen Auditorium.

The 2002 finalists:

OncoPharmaceutical focuses on the development of pharmaceutical products that treat cancer and immune system related disorders.

B3IO provides revolutionary tissue and membrane simulation tools for the pharmaceutical industry. B3IO's computer simulations may collectively save pharmaceutical companies two to five years over the stages of drug development.

ChipSi Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company that plans to design, develop, and market silicon solutions for the datacom and telecom markets.

Thermo Chromic Systems (TCS) aims to improve tire safety through the use of a patent-pending smart material, which measures tire operating temperature and changes the color of a tire that is under-inflated or overheated.

The finalists will compete for $90,000 in cash prizes. The prize money is distributed as follows: a $50,000 first prize, a $25,000 second prize, a $10,000 third prize, and a $5,000 "People's Choice Award," to be selected by the public audience at the April 24 event.

"I always find it inspiring to see what people are developing in a university setting and how they come up with commercial applications for their ideas and technologies," said Joanna Gallenter of Venture Strategy Group, who served as judge in the semifinalist round.

Just advancing to the final round bodes well for the entrepreneurial dreams of each of these six finalists. In just four years, finalists of the UC Berkeley-based competition have raised over $120 million in venture funding. First-year winner Timbre Technologies was sold in February 2001 to Tokyo Semiconductor for $138 million.

The 2002 Berkeley Business Plan Competition received support from the following sponsors:

Edward Penhoet, a leader in the San Francisco Bay Area's biotech industry and dean of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, is this year's winner of the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award is presented annually to recognize the entrepreneurial accomplishments of key contributors to the Silicon Valley/San Francisco Bay Area's economy. It will be presented to Penhoet at the UC Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum on Thursday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m. in the Arthur Andersen Auditorium.

Penhoet has held a prominent role in the biotech boom that came to define the San Francisco Bay Area since he, Dr. Bill Rutter, and Pablo Valenzuela launched Chiron Corporation in 1981. The company, named after a mythological creature that was a master of healing, became known for creating the hepatitis B vaccine and isolating the virus that causes hepatitis C.

Penhoet, who had previously taught in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley, was named dean of the School of Public Health in 1998. He is also a partner in the venture capital firm Alta Partners and serves on several boards of directors, including the UC System Biotech Advisory Committee. He is chair of the Bay Area BioScience Center and the Chabot Space & Science Center. Penhoet is immediate past chair of the California Health Care Institute.

Penhoet also is an original member of the Lester Center's board of advisors, dating from when he was still at Chiron. He is the first member of the board who has been honored with the award.

Later this year, Penhoet will leave UC Berkeley to join the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation as director of its higher education and science program.

The Lester Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation was founded in 1990 with a $1 million gift from W. Howard Lester, chairman of Williams-Sonona, who believed that the university had a role to play in helping aspiring entrepreneurs have a greater chance at success.

CREATOR OF MICROCREDIT LENDING AND FOUNDER OF GRAMEEN BANK TO SPEAK ON FRIDAY, APRIL 19

Dr. Muhammad Yunus, creator of the microcredit movement, will give a special speech at Haas this Friday, April 19, in the Arthur Andersen Auditorium from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Yunus is the founder of the Grameen Bank, a $2.5 billion micro-lending enterprise in Bangladesh.

After earning a Ph.D. in economics at Vanderbilt University, Yunus returned to Bangladesh to settle into a life as a professor. When famine struck Bangladesh in 1974, he decided to start an experimental microcredit enterprise to help the poor; by 1983 the Grameen Bank was officially formed. The idea behind the Grameen Bank is simple: extend credit to poor people and they will help themselves. Grameen Bank provides small loans (usually less than $300) to those unable to obtain credit from traditional banks.

Most of the Grameen Bank's loans are to women. Since its inception, there has been a loan repayment rate of almost 98 percent. More than two million borrowers have used small loans from Grameen Bank to successfully start their businesses. The microcredit model has spread to over 50 countries worldwide, from the US to Papua, New Guinea, and from Norway to Nepal.

The Haas International Business Development program has been sending teams of MBA students to Bangladesh to work with many Grameen Bank subsidiaries and related companies for the last five years. Another team of IBD students will be working in Bangladesh next month.

C4C Sports Weekend at Stanford University is the culmination of the annual competition among MBA students from six west coast business schools (the Haas School, Stanford, Washington University, USC, the Anderson School at UCLA, and UC Irvine) to determine who wins the coveted "Golden Briefcase." Berkeley MBA students have been competing since the fall in two other areas: volunteer hours for Special Olympics events and fundraising dollars that go to the Special Olympics. The Sports Weekend, which takes place on April 19 - 21, is the final event of the competition.

Sports Weekend is probably the most fun C4C event of the year for the students (and definitely the longest). It gives Berkeley MBA students a chance to compete in a variety of sports while meeting MBA students from other schools. "The most rewarding part of Sports Weekend is knowing that all the money we raise goes to such an amazing cause, Special Olympics," says Anita Akerkar, MBA 02. "Most Haas Sports Weekend participants have also volunteered with Special Olympics throughout the year."

Over the course of the weekend, more than 250 Berkeley MBA students converge on Stanford and spend the entire weekend competing in sports, including softball, soccer, bowling, darts, ultimate Frisbee, and tennis. There are also social events and a trivia contest.

JOIN IN A DIALOGUE ON CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT WITH ORACLE SENIOR VP ON TUESDAY, APRIL 23

Mark Barrenechea, senior vice president for Applications Development at Oracle Corporation, will speak about managing customer relationships on Tuesday, April 23, at the Haas School. The event is part of the E-Business Seminar Series and is designed to provide an opportunity for informal dialogue with executives leading successful e-business companies and applications.

The event takes place over lunch from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Room. It's free and open to the public.

Barrenechea, author of "E-Business or Out of Business, Oracle's Roadmap for Profiting in the New Economy and Software Rules," will speak on customer relationship management and take questions. At Oracle Corporation, he is responsible for Oracle Call Center, sales, marketing, customer care and service, electronic commerce, and mobile applications.

The third annual Haas Earth Day Lecture on Business and the Environment presents Paul V. Tebo, vice president of safety, health, and environment at DuPont, on April 18, 2002. The event takes place from 5:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Room.

In his speech, "Sustainability as a Driver of Shareholder Value," Tebo will address why DuPont has adopted environmental excellence as a core business strategy and how it has reduced annual costs by almost $500 million.

The Socially Responsible Business Leadership Initiative, Net Impact at Haas, and the Haas School of Business are sponsoring the event. Seating will be limited; please RSVP to reserve a seat by contacting Eric Strand at strand@haas.berkeley.edu.

Brett Trueman, the Donald and Ruth Seiler Professor of Public Accounting and chair of the Accounting Group, was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle on April 14, 2002 in an article titled, "Long Boom Came Up Just a Little Short." Trueman commented on the lessons that investors learned when the Internet bubble burst in March of 2000. Read the full article at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/04/14/BU193793.DTL.

Carl Shapiro, the Transamerica Professor of Business Strategy and Director of the Institute of Business and Economics Research (IBER), was quoted extensively in The New York Times on April 12 in an article titled "Expert Lists Goals of a Microsoft Penalty." Shapiro argued that the court should impose rules that would lower the barrier to competition in the operating system market by approximately the same amount that Microsoft's illegal acts had raised it.

Severin Borenstein, the E.T. Grether Professor in Public Policy and Business Administration, appeared on KQED radio's Forum on April 11. The show was about the California and United States gasoline situation and alternative fuels.

Nick Sturiale, MBA 98, founder and CEO of Timbre Technologies, was featured in Venturewire on April 11 in the article "Sevin Rosen Funds Promotes Nick Sturiale to Partner." Timbre Technologies won the first prize in the inaugural UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition in 1998.

Shapiro was also quoted extensively in The New York Times on April 11 in the article titled "Economist Backs Microsoft Penalties." He said that the added pressure placed on Microsoft by a new range of non-Microsoft products that work as well with Windows will ultimately bring new inventions.

Florian Zettelmeyer, assistant professor in the Haas Marketing Group, was quoted in Reuters English News Service on April 10 in the article "USA: NetTrends - Is the Internet Short-Circuiting the US Economy?" Zettelmeyer said that he is somewhat skeptical about the notion that the Internet is killing profitability.

Borenstein was also on KTVU on April 9, discussing the world oil market and Iraqi oil embargo.

Scott Adams, MBA 86, creator of Dilbert, was featured in the Oakland Tribune on April 9 in an article titled "Hungry to Grow." Adams, co-owner of Stacey's Café in downtown Pleasanton, has just announced the opening of a second restaurant in Dublin. Read the article at http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1002,10834%257E516427,00.html.

Borenstein was also interviewed on April 8 for KRON Channel 4 TV. He discussed the world oil market and Iraqi oil embargo.

Doug Kalish, lecturer in biotechnology, and Geoffrey Thompson, MBA/MPH 01, had an article titled "The Impact of Biotechnology on the US Healthcare System" published in the second quarter 2002 edition of the Milken Institute Review.

THE LATIN AMERICAN BUSINESS CLUB
"Argentina's Current Economic Challenge: A Panel Discussion with Economic Experts"
Thursday, April 18, 2002
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Cheit Hall 230
Speakers include:
Andrew Rose, the Bernard T. Rocca Jr. Professor of International Trade and director of the Clausen Center for International Business and Policy, Alan M. Taylor, International Economics professor at University of California at Davis, and Janet Yellen, Eugene E. and Catherine M. Trefethen Professor of Business Administration at Haas.
A reception will be hosted afterwards in the Helzel Boardroom. This event is being sponsored by the Clausen Center for International Business and Policy. This event is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Juan Mijares at mijares@haas.berkeley.edu.

MANAGEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY LECTURE
"4th Annual Roundtable on Digital Content"
Thursday, April 18
5:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
Booth Auditorium, Boalt Hall
This panel examines the new post-Napster environment for copyright law and the music industry.
Admission is free to students, faculty, and the University of California community.

THE FIRST ANNUAL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM ROBERT C. MAYNARD LECTURE
"The Challenge of Watching the Watch Dog: The Achilles Heel of a Free, Responsible, and Independent Press in Contemporary American Society" by Jay Harris, the Robert C. Maynard Fellow at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and former chairman and publisher of the San Jose Mercury News
Monday, April 22
7:00 p.m.
Sibley Auditorium
The lecture is being held in connection with the April 21 - 24, Western Knight Center for Specialized Journalism Training conference, "Covering the Press: Ethics, Values and Social Issues," which will focus on corporate ownership of the media and its impact on news organizations' ability to cover themselves.

MANAGEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY LECTURE
"Telecom, Turmoil, and Opportunity" by Arun Sarin, Chairman, Accel KKR Telecom
Wednesday, April 24
3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wells Fargo Room, C420
In the wake of the extraordinary changes since deregulation, Sarin will discuss the new opportunities and challenges facing all players in this industry. A reception will follow the lecture. Admission is free to students, faculty, and the University of California community.

BERKELEY ENTREPRENEURS FORUM
"5th Annual Lifetime Achievement in Entrepreneurship & Innovation Award Program: An Evening Honoring Dr. Edward E. Penhoet" with tributes by friends and colleagues including William Rutter, Chiron Corporation, Jean Deleage, Alta Partners, and Robert Tjian, Tularik.
Thursday, April 25
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Arthur Andersen Auditorium
For more information on the series, please visit http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/groups/lester/bef.html.
If you wish to read more about this particular event, go to http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/groups/lester/apr02.html.

"Germany and Monetary Disunion: The Dormant Crisis" with professors Andy Rose and Rich Lyons
Friday, April 26
4:10 p.m.
Arthur Andersen Auditorium
Sebastian Teunissen, executive director of the Clausen Center for International Business & Policy, will moderate. Thirty minutes will be set aside for questions.
A consumption function organized by the Latin American Business Club will follow in the Bank of America forum. This event is free and open to the public.

Ph.D. Seminars

REAL ESTATE SEMINAR John Glascock, George Washington University
Monday, April 15
4:00 p.m.
Room C330
For more information, contact Lynn Young at lyoung@haas.berkeley.edu.

REAL ESTATE SEMINAR
"The Impact of GSE Mortgage on Underserved Neighborhoods" by George Galster, Wayne State University
Monday, April 29
4:00 p.m.
Room C330
For more information, contact Lynn Young at lyoung@haas.berkeley.edu.

Cal Day -- Campus Open House
Saturday, April 20
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tour Haas facilities: the computer center, the career center, MBA Program office, Evening & Weekend MBA office, and the Undergraduate Program office. Meet representatives from the YEAH Program, and undergraduate student clubs in the Haas courtyard. For more information contact the Alumni Relations Office at 510-642-7790 or e-mail alumni@haas.berkeley.edu.

Haas Alumni Network East Bay Chapter
Rebuilding Together (formerly Christmas in April)
Charitable Home Improvement
Saturday, April 27
8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The HAN East Bay Chapter and Haas students are joining forces with Rebuilding Together (formerly Christmas in April) a nonprofit community organization that rehabilitates the homes of low-income, senior, and disabled homeowners in the East Bay. You do not need to be skilled in home repair work to participate. If you can patch, paint, wallpaper, pull weeds, pound nails, etc., you can contribute. This year the group will focus on the Alzheimer's Services of the East Bay (www.aseb.org) facility located at 2320 Channing Way in Berkeley, within walking distance from campus. We will be renovating the facility including painting, gardening, cleaning, and repair.
To register or if you have further questions please contact Johannes Raedeker at JohannesRaedeker@alumni.haas.org.
Please RSVP by April 15 so that we can plan the activities based on the size of the team.
For more information about Rebuilding Together please go to www.rebuildingtogether.org.

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